After 40 years closely associated with the late creator Akira Toriyama, the Dragon Ball franchise is officially entering a new era under the full creative leadership of his successor, Toyotarou.
Following four decades under Toriyama’s influence, Dragon Ball is turning the page and making way for the Toyotarou era. The franchise has confirmed this transition through a series of newly released illustrations and changes introduced in the remake of the God of Destruction Beerus Arc, signaling that future Dragon Ball projects will increasingly follow the direction of the Dragon Ball Super manga artist.
The franchise’s rights holders, including Capsule Corp Tokyo, Shueisha, and Toei, are gradually preparing audiences for this new chapter. Once the Galactic Patrol Arc anime, based on a storyline written by Toyotarou himself, officially premieres, Toriyama’s protégé will take full creative charge of the franchise.
One of the clearest signs that Dragon Ball is beginning to view Toyotarou as the franchise’s future can be seen in its recently revealed merchandise and promotional artwork. In the past, most promotional materials used Akira Toriyama’s manga panels and cover illustrations as their primary references, turning those images into iconic representations of the franchise. Now, the same approach is beginning to be applied to Toyotarou’s work.
A recently revealed official T-shirt design features Goku in his Ultra Instinct form, with the illustration clearly inspired by Toyotarou’s depiction of Ultra Instinct Goku in Chapter 41 of the Dragon Ball Super manga.
This move came shortly after the Diramix card collection introduced new designs featuring Goku and Vegeta in their signature Super Saiyan Blue poses. As pointed out by X user @KawaiiDB, these designs were directly modeled after Toyotarou’s illustration on the French edition’s combined Volume 1 and 2 cover.
However, the growing recognition of Toyotarou’s work is not limited to promotional artwork. His influence is also becoming increasingly visible in the anime department.
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus Anime Adds Scenes Previously Exclusive to Toyotarou’s Manga
Beyond the obvious fact that the upcoming Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga was written entirely by Toyotarou, the Dragon Ball Super: Beerus anime remake has also been incorporating scenes that previously appeared only in the manga.
Fans first noticed this in a trailer released ahead of the anime’s premiere. In one scene, Goku appears to use Super Saiyan God against Frieza during the Golden Frieza Saga. This moment appeared only in Toyotarou’s condensed three-page manga adaptation and was never included in the 2015 anime series or the movie Resurrection ‘F’.
Additionally, the first episode of Dragon Ball Super: Beerus features a scene in which Goku imagines himself fighting Frieza, Cell, and Buu. This was another moment previously exclusive to the manga that has now been incorporated into the new remake.
The renewed focus on Toyotarou is taking place even though the Dragon Ball Super manga has remained on indefinite hiatus since February 2025, when Chapter 104 was released. That chapter was the first in which Toyotarou handled the artwork without Toriyama’s editorial assistance.
When the Dragon Ball Super manga eventually returns, it will mark the first official mainline Dragon Ball manga storyline created without Toriyama’s direct supervision. Although Toriyama may have left behind detailed story outlines for one or two future arcs, the storyboarding, artwork, and specific dialogue will no longer receive his direct creative input.
Considering that Toyotarou had already been writing complete Dragon Ball Super story arcs himself even before Toriyama’s passing, there is a strong possibility that he will handle the next chapter of Dragon Ball Super entirely on his own, taking responsibility for both the writing and the artwork.
Sources: gamek